Medical grade air is a pharmaceutical product commonly used in breathing applications and used for the calibration of respiratory medical equipment. Standards for medical grade air are governed by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) under the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). The USP standard requires medical air to contain between 19.5% and 23.5% oxygen, with the predominant balance being nitrogen. The USP also requires medical air to have a carbon monoxide level of less than 10 ppm, a carbon dioxide level of less than 500 ppm, a nitrogen dioxide level of less than 2.5 ppm, a nitric oxide level of less than 2.5 ppm and a sulfur dioxide level of less than 5 ppm. In addition, NFPA indicates acceptable levels of moisture and pollutants in the medical grade air such that the medical grade air contains less than 5 mg/m3 of permanent particulates sized 1 micron or larger at normal atmospheric pressure.
Presently, medical air may be transported and delivered in various ways. Medical air may be transported and delivered to a patient via a medical air cylinder. These cylinders are able to store a predetermined amount of medical grade air in a reservoir contained therein. These cylinders have a finite amount of air stored therein and, upon depletion thereof, must be replaced with a new cylinder and subsequently refilled prior to their next use. Additionally, transport of these cylinders is affected by weight, size, and shape thereof which may limit the usability of these cylinders in a medical transport scenario. A drawback associated with this manner of providing medical grade air is their finite storage and the difficulty level associated with refilling the cylinders for repeated use. It is also known to provide medical grade air using a medical grade air compressor. However, currently available medical grade air compression systems are in a box or suitcase. They are typically carried to ambulances or other emergency vehicles. In addition, some current systems have to be hooked up to a medical grade air line.
Therefore a need exists to provide a continuous supply of medical grade air that does not require connection to a medical grade air line and which is conveniently transportable in vehicles and throughout a healthcare enterprise. An apparatus according to invention principles addresses deficiencies of known systems and improves patient access to a medical grade air supply.